Steam-engine



(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet M. NY. 8; E. P. LYNN.

I STEAM ENGINE. No. 377,462. I Patented F6b ..7, 1888.

W t fitome'yap N PETER C.-

MIRABEAU N. LYNN AND ELMORE r. LYNN, on RISINGSUN, INDIA A,

'ASSIGNORS TO THE LYNN ENGINE COMPANY, OFDAYTON, OHIO.

STEAM-ENG NE SPECIFICATION forming partrof Letters Patent No, 377,462,dated February 7, 1888! Application filed July 2Q, 1886. RenewedJnneg22, 1857. Serial No. 242,151. (No model.)

To aZZ whom; it may concern:

Be it known that we, MIRABEAU N. LYNN and ELMORE P. LYNN, both. ofRising Sun, in the county of Ohioand State of Indiana, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engines; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full,'clea r, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, nd to the figures and letters of referencemarkedthereon.

'This invention relates to improvements in the arrangement, location,and means for op erating the valves of engines of the direct-actingmultiple-cylinder class, as hereinafter described, and pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal verticalsection of a two-cylinder engine, showing our'improvements applied.thereto.

Fig. 2 is an end view, partly in section, of said engine, Figs. 3 and 4are enlarged sectional views of .the piston and valve in differentpositions. Fig. 5 .is a transverse sectional view of the'valve andpiston on line w :20, Fig. 4, looking toward the head of the cylinder. I

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the sameparts.

With the exception of the pistons and valve mechanism, the engine shown,and which is simply introducedto illustrate one mode of applyingourpresentinventionin practice, is

in all material respects substantially thesame in form and constructionas that described in our joint application, Serial No. 188,722, filedJanuary 16,1886. 1 I

A is the main casing and A the cylinders.

A is the removable head, carrying the governor A and throttle-valve A,and provided with steam-passages a, leading to the jackets of thecylinders. o

A is the crankshaft, A the counter-weight, and A the pitman. c n

Steam or othcr'fiuid under pressure is admitted through an opening, a,in the lower cylinder communicating through a cored passage, of, in saidcylinder with a passagein the head A leading to the steam-chest a of thethrottle-valve. Thismode of connecting the steam-pipe with thesteam-chest is preferred, as it permits the head A to be removed withoutdisconnecting the steam-pipe, but, if Q desired, the steam pipe'connection may be made directly with the steamchest of the throttle-valvV 4 5 1 As shown at Fig. 1, the steam passes directly from thethrottle-valve into the jackets of the cylinders, from whence it isintroduced into the cylinders above the pistons in the followingmannerr-Within each piston P, of which more thantwo may beemployed, if

desired, is formed a chamber, 0, for the re opposite ends, P P, of thepiston P are pro videdwith packing-rings, so that the steampassage E,preferably surrounding the piston,

divides the latter into three sections comprising thetwo ends or pistonsP P and the connecting portion P, less in diameter than the pistons P P,within which the valve i s;1o-

oated. Steam is admitted to the passage E,

and thence to the valve-chamber Gin the piston, through a series ofports or openings, R,

inlth e inner wall of the cylinder and communicating with thesteam-space therein The preferred form of valve is that shown,consisting of upperand lower sections, U U, provided with parallel facesa, fitting the opposite faces of the valve-chamber, as shown.- The uppersection, U, of the. valve'is provided witha cylindrical or othershapedportion, ut fitting within'ja sleeve, a, on the" lower section, and init is formedthe passage or passages leading from the, exhaust-port 1?,while the lower section, U, is formed with a large opening,'p, forestablishing'and maintaining a free passage for the exhaust-steamv intoan opening or openings, p in" the lower portion, P of the piston, andcommunicating with the central chamber of the main casing.

arranged constitute, practically, a balanced valve; but owing to therapid motion of the pistons it is found desirable in practice that thevalve should not be completely balanced,-

ICO

but that a sufficient areashould be exposed on v each. section to holdthem pressed against their 9s The two sections UzU as thus constructedand seats and prevent their being thrown off by the inertia of theparts.

In one section of the valve, preferably the upper, is formed a tubularguide, G, for the reception of a block, 9, in which is pivoted the endof an arm, M, connected to and forming an extension. of the head of thepitman A7, which latter is pivotally attached to the lower section, I,of the piston.

The upper section of the valve is so adj ust-ed and proportionedrelative to theinlet and exhaust ports in the piston, the throw of thecrank, and the length of the arm or connection between the pitman andvalve that at mid-stroke of the valve, which occurs as the crank passesthe center, the inlet will be opened and the exhaust closed, or viceversa, as the piston reaches the limit of its stroke in eitherdirection; hence the movement of the valve to admit and exhaust thepropellingfiuid in the cylinder must be the same, but in a reversedirection at each end of the stroke of the piston. This arrangement isamply sufficient when the engine is to be used as a meter or hydraulicmotor, in which event three cylinders should be employed; but ifdesigned to be driven by steam it is desirable that some provision bemade whereby the supply of steam can be cut off during the latter partof the stroke of the piston; and with this end in view we have soarranged and located the openings or ports in the cylinder relative tothe length of the piston and crank that the piston itself shall operateas a cut-off valve. As before stated, the piston proper is provided withtwo piston-heads, I P, between which is formed, in connection with thecylinder, a steam-space communicating with the valve-chamber andinlet-port. The openings or ports in the wall of the cylinder are solocated with respect to the upper or outer pistoirhead, P,-that when thepiston is at the outer end of the cylinder steam will be delivered intothe steamspace between the two piston-heads, and as the piston is forcedupward toward the crank the upper or outer piston-head will lap over andcover the ports or openings in the cylinder, thereby cutting off thesupply and allowing the steam in the cylinder to act expansively uponthe piston.

The point of cut-off can be regulated and determined by changing thelocation of the openings in the cylinder or the position of thepiston-headrelativetosaidopenings. Asshown in the drawings, the pistonis arranged to cut off at about one-half stroke.

By forming the openings through which steam is admitted to the cylinderat equal distances apart the pressure upon the periphery of the pistonis equalized.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is-- 1. Thecombination, with a cylinder having ports or openings in its innersurface for the admission of steam, of a piston carrying a valvecontrolling the inlet and exhaust ports,

said piston being provided with two pistonheads and a steamspace betweenthem, into which steam is delivered from the openings in the cylinder,substantially as described.

2. Thecombination,withthecylinderandits openings or ports, of a pistoncarrying the valve mechanism governing the inlet and exhaust openingsand provided with a steamspace intermediate the ends of the piston andcommunicating with the valve-chamber, said steam-space cooperating withopenings in the cylinder during a portion only of the stroke of thepiston to thereby limit the supply of steam as delivered to thecylinder, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the cylinder having steam openings or ports inits interior, of a piston having a valve chamber and valve through whichthe steam is admitted and ex hausted in the cylinder, said piston beingalso provided with a steam-space intermediate its ends or heads, wherebysteam is admitted to the valve-chamber at the beginning of the strokeand is cut off by the movement of the piston which closes the ports inthe cylinder during the latter portion of the stroke, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a direct-acting steamengine such as described, wherein steam isadmitted direct to the interior of the cylinder through ports in theside thereof,and in combination with said cylinder, a-piston carryingvalve mechanism controlling the admission-and escape of steam above thepiston and operating in conjunction with the ports in the cylinder as acut-off, substantially as described.

5. In an engine such as described, and in combination with the cylinderand its ports or openings, the piston provided with two piston-headsconnected together to form a steamspace and valve-chamber, and a valvelocated in said chamber and driven by the pitman to alternately open andclose the inlet and exhaust ports as the crank passes. the center,substantially as described.

6. In an engine such as described, and in combination with the cylinderhaving ports or openings, the piston fitting the cylinder above andbelow said openings or ports and provided with an intermediatesteam-passage for reestablishing communication between the said ports oropenings and an inlet-port in the piston, substantially as described.

'7. In a direct-acting steam-engine, and in combination with the pistonthereof provided with the valve chamber, as described, the slide-valveconstructed in two sections fitted together and engaging the oppositefaces of the valve-chamber, the inlet and exhaust ports formed in oneoutlet the piston and the exhaust-port in the other, said valve-sectionsbeing also providedwith a passage through their connecting portions forthe escape of the exhaust through the piston, substantially asdescribed.

8. The combination, in a direct-acting engine such as described, andwith the piston and cylinder thereof, of a slide-valve located 377,462 rQ Q .3

in the piston and provided with a longitudinal socket for the receptionof a guide'block, the pitman pivotally secured to the lower side of thepiston,and the rod attached to and forming an extension of the pistonprojecting withinthe piston and valve with its end pivoted to thebefore-mentioned guide-block in the valve, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a. direct-acting engine such as described, and in combination withthe cylinder having openings or ports in its inner wallsyand a pistonprovided with two heads and an intermediate steam-space and operating asa cutoff, a valvecarried by said piston and moving in unison with thepitman to control the admission of steam from the steam-passage into thecylinder above the piston and the escape of steam through thepistomsubstantially as described.

10. In a direct acting steam-engine such as described, wherein steam isadmitted through 1 openings in the cylinderand into a steamthrough therear end of the piston, substantially as described.

11. Ina directacting steam-engine such as 7, described, andincombination with the piston provided with double heads and anintermediate space, a cylinder provided with a se-,

ries of openings or ports arranged at,equal-- vdistances apart,through'which the fluid is admitted to the interior of the cylinder,whereby, when the head of the piston is brought opposite said openingstoserve asa cut-off, the pressure will be equalized upon the peripheryof the piston, asset forth.

12. In a direct-acting engine suchas described, and in combination withthe jacketed' cylinder having openings or ports inits inner walls, thepiston provided with two heads and an intermediate space through whichthe fluid is conducted from the openings in the cylinder to the valve inthe piston, the recipcomrnunicating with the opening in the lower end ofthe piston, and the pitman pivotal'ly attached to the piston in saidlast-mentioned opening and carrying an arm or extension engaging thevalve toreciprocate the latter, subv stantiallyas described. v

, MIRABEAU N. LYNN;

ELMORE r. LYNN.

Witnesses:

O. M. GOTTSOHALL, WILLIAM H. RUSSELL.

s 'rocating valve containing the exhaustpassage

